happy2beinindia

I grew up overseas and have lived most of my life working overseas in developing countries or war zones. Vietnam is the first country I had anything stolen in. It is also the first country I did not carry all of my things inside a money belt under ... Read More

Excuse me, but my mobile was stolen out of my pocket within 2 days of arrival. it happened in Crescent Mall inside the Giant Grocery Store. I never felt a thing. My friend's parents came to visit and were sightseeing in District 1 and raised up ... Read More

Be sure to use a money belt. Put your mobile inside the money belt. People here have a lot of stuff stolen out of their pockets and even their hands. Also if you have a back pack wear it on the front. Be careful of motorbikes as they can grab your ... Read More

Oops, not me. I am using the protein powders for weight loss. :-) Good luck to you. Read More

Today saw protein powder, whey, supplements, etc. in Robinson's department store at Crescent Mall in District 7. It is on the ground level in the cosmetics area. They have opened a pharmacy next to cosmetics. Read More

Maybe times have changed but I see baking soda everywhere. The brand name I see most often is Arm and Hammer from USA. Crescent Mall Giant grocery store has it as do the little import shops in district 1 by the big tower. Read More

The problem here is threefold, 1) There is a lot of fake medicine being sold, 2) The high heat and humidity negatively impact potency of some medication, and 3) Everything imported gets heavily taxed. I feel very comfortable buying common ... Read More

Thank you, That is very helpful! Read More

I am sorry my response to your post is so late but until October 2015 FV offered attractive membership packages which essentially turned their services into a managed care scenario. Now they have changed their memberships and are charging older ... Read More

I went to FV hospital emergency department last night at 10pm with high fever, sore throat, dizziness, and extreme headache. (I only get headache when I am sick). The staff are very nice. The emergency department looks newly built and there was no ... Read More

Yes you are right. I used to live in Chennai and it is a lovely city. I have never been to Calcutta. Shopping is good in Delhi though. Read More

Oh no. A 50% discount at a bakery. That IS dangerous. Cakes here I come... :) Read More

I also have not had luck finding display paper of quality here. There is some large paper here that is cardstock thickness but in the high humidity it quickly warps. My school buys a type of white plastic corrugated sheeting from the building ... Read More

I bought protein powder here. A bit hard to explain where. Walk like you are going into the Lottemart district 7 grocery store inside the complex (at ground level). Then instead of going into the entrance turn left and walk along the exit area where ... Read More

That is such a kind offer. Thank you so much for your gracious hospitality. I have enough now for the rest of my time here in Vietnam since I will leave in June. By the way who do you think has the best flight/ service prices for flights from here ... Read More

I agree, you can leave them uncovered in your home assuming everything is clean. I work in a very dirty place so I have to always keep any wounds completely covered all day at work but I do tend to leave them open at home. The verdict is not in yet ... Read More

In the tropics you keep wounds covered to prevent new bacteria from entering into the broken skin. I would also be washing that wounded part of my body with bottled water and covering it against tap water during showers since the skin is broken. If ... Read More

I agree with you. Those shops are so hot temperature wise I do believe things will go bad quickly as a result.I was melting in there from the heat. I would NOT buy anything there in a tin or any oils due to heat. At least if you buy oil from a ... Read More

I found on another website a question similar to yours and the reply was: "There are so many surgical supply shops on Tran Hung Dao street, Q.1" Good luck to you. When I had a sudden severe knee injury in Tanzania last year I used my ... Read More

Maybe you can call up the French Vietnamese Hospital in District 7 and ask them if they carry those items? It is also known to taxi drivers as "FV" http://www.fvhospital.com/en/ Tel (08) 54 11 33 33 Counterfeit drugs are a big problem in ... Read More

Not sure if this will help but in some countries they sell a poison chalk. I think I saw it here. I have used it before. Wear gloves when you use it. You can't use it if you have pets, small kids on floor, etc. But you draw a poison chalk line ... Read More

Ok-- today was an amazing day because I finally made my way to a store selling many Indian things. The bad news was it was extremely hot inside the small and crowded store and my friend with her crying 5 year old child were also there with me. Kind ... Read More

I love Manjula's Kitchen. It is free and the lady has many videos so it is like having your Auntie show you how to cook. And she cooks in a real, humble kitchen without fancy cookware. This gives me hope I can cook it all at home successfully. ... Read More

Thanks for the post. The directions and description are very helpful. Read More

Yes i know it is an old post. However when I personally am searching for something I will read old and new posts on the topics. Seriously it is so difficult to find things in HCMC for those of us that do not have access to Vietnamese friends, etc. I ... Read More

What district is that in? I wish I had an address to show taxi driver. Read More

Lotte Supermarket District 7 in the candy aisle 2 flavor varieties about 44,000VND for single, tiny pack Read More

My Indian friend buys her dried dal in Giant Supermarket District 7 inside Crescent Mall. They do not have Indian spices or any other Indian products. She buys vegetables from Lotte Market in District 7 because she says those are freshest. She ... Read More

I think that the most important part is to make sure that you apply the same criteria to woman selection here that you would back in your own country. Somehow men here throw all caution to the wind and then feel lucky when they land an attractive ... Read More

Maybe not. I think for people who spend the day teaching they may be tired when they get home and not interested in doing a language exchange? I had some male friends who really wanted to learn Vietnamese and not for the purpose of picking up women ... Read More

My school men wear shorts but the rules are changing to long pants next semester. Key is cotton. Cotton underwear especially. Avoid anything synthetic and look for loose fit in shirts. Lightweight fabrics with loose weave in the cloth allow more air ... Read More

Seriously. The Vietnamese women i know are looking for a foreign female friend to teach them English for free so they can hook a foreign man who will save them from their terrible life of poverty. I can't say that I blame them. It is a good ... Read More

My cheap suggestion is for you to buy a cheap quilt that the Vietnamese use as a top sheet and put that under your fitted sheet. I did that and it works quite well. Crescent Mall, There is an electronics store across from the Giant grocery store on ... Read More

My biggest culture shock in Kurdistan is that if a woman needs to buy underwear and she goes to the markets where locals shop, all of those shops are run by men. The men will look the woman up and down and skillfully determine what size she needs ... Read More

Here is the translation of what I wrote: About 2 years ago I met some Venezuelans who were working in the oil fields outside of Erbil. I also met a couple from Spain who worked in Erbil but I don't know if they are still here. On the topic of ... Read More

Thank you, point taken. I replied in Spanish because the original writer wrote in Spanish. Read More

Open Now: Divan Rotanna Under Construction and Not open Doubletree Hotel (Hilton) Best Western Best way to find this information is to pretend you are looking for a hotel room in Erbil and use a search engine. That will show most of the mid-range ... Read More

I have seen some Indian nationals working at the Rotanna Hotel. Maybe you could try their website since they have Rotanna hotels throughout the Middle East? Another big hotel here but it seems to be very Turkish is the Divan. I think they also have ... Read More

I am so sorry but I don't know how people here get their jobs. But all the expats I meet came here because of a specific job offer. I have not met any expats who came here first and then found a job. Maybe you can google terms like Iraq + Jobs+ ... Read More

Forgot to mention about your wife. I am a woman here and I find the behavior of the men to be troubling. They stare at me and sometimes harass me with their crude gestures and asking me for sex. This happens a lot when I go to the market areas ... Read More

Hello, I have met some Kenyans who are very educated and working in business offices. There were I think 5 working in the same office. I have also met about 3 men who work in restaurant and they are also Kenyan, There is one man I occasionally see ... Read More

I'm not from Tamil Nadu but used to live in Chennai. I miss Chennai with its great weather, pretty beaches, and fab veg eateries like Eden and quick lunch places like Hot Chips in Adyar at the corner of LB Road and the road going to ... Read More

Hace aproximadamente 2 años conocí a algunos venezolanos que trabajaban en los campos de petróleo fuera de Erbil. También solía haber una pareja de España que trabaja en Erbil, pero no sé si todavía están ... Read More

Considering you will not have a social life here no it is not enough money. To be a "good woman" here if you are working with locals you must stay home and wait for marriage. I would not come here as a single woman. I am here as a single woman by ... Read More

Hello, Erbil can be a difficult place to live because of social isolation. If you have school aged children it is a little easier because you may see a few other expat families at your school. I would suggest joining Internations. You can join ... Read More

The weather in Erbil is lovely most of the year. Winters are not too cold, although nights can be. Only a few months in summer are extremely hot. The air is quite clean compared to other developing countries I have lived in. The landscape is ... Read More

Life in Erbil can be expensive, You will not find fresh milk here, it is all in a tetrapak starting at about $2USD per liter. Yogurt is available here and relatively cheap. You can find channa dal, masoor dal, brown lentils, rajma, and some other ... Read More

I agree that older taxi drivers seem to make fewer problems. I also look for the red and white older model taxis as those drivers seem to be nice and charge a more normal price. I avoid any taxi with a mall name on it as they charge a lot more. Read More

I can see clearly that the person who is writing women can go everywhere freely is a man and has not experienced being a woman in Erbil. There are many local eating establishments that do not welcome women unless they are with their husband. If you ... Read More

Hello, Thanks for the information. Can you also please specify how many hours per week and total number of days per week for the salary range you gave? Thanks. Read More

Hello, I am also a single teacher. Every month I spend $500 on food and things necessary for the house like tissue paper, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, shampoo, and soap. I try to avoid buying things I can make from scratch. I do buy ... Read More

An update about transportation. Hello Taxi has a new name. They are now called Airport Taxi. They have created a monopoly at the airport. Their prices are very high. If you arrive at the airport you may get lucky and someone else gets dropped off in ... Read More

Thanks for the information. I agree with you that the key is lowered expectations and then one will be pleasantly surprised instead of shocked. :-) However knowing myself, I like to have as much advance information as possible to avoid utter shock. ... Read More

ankeetsinha Thank you so much for this wonderful posting. I am moving soon to Dar and this helps a lot. Can you kindly advise if you find electronics (TV, washing machine) expensive in Dar or about the same price as in India? Is the local city ... Read More

I am sorry but I am a female and in this culture I can lose my job for having contacts with men. I do not know about the salary. Are they paying private school fees which can run around $10,000USD per year or higher? Are they providing you with ... Read More

Safety Men can go anywhere anytime. Women usually stay home, go out during daylight hours only and then in their neighborhoods or to a mall and with friends. Some Iraqi neighbors have told me that home break ins are a possibility because Iraqis keep ... Read More

Does your employer pay housing? Can you eat a meal for free at work? Does your employer give you transport to work? This amount of salary seems low to me but I do not know what those jobs pay normally here. Food costs depend upon what kind of food ... Read More

People Men and women do not mix unless they are married or in the same family. Easier for a man here than for a woman. Men can go where they want when they want. Shopping Most things are available here for a good price. Prices comparable to the ... Read More

Hello, Don't worry too much about the weather. It can get cold but the idea of cold is relative. It is colder in the mountains. Erbil is not so cold during the day time even if you are outside all day long. I have never needed long underwear or ... Read More

As a result of the recent bombings in Erbil the immigration procedures have changed a lot. My employer hires several high profile well connected lawyers to handle all of these issues related to work visas and residencies. Certain countries can ... Read More

Yes in Ainkawa some of the women do not cover. Also sometimes in the local high end shopping malls. But in general women cover here. Not always with Abiya but usually with clothing. Girls can wear as they like until they start to look sexually ... Read More

I have been here for 4 years. In the beginning the traffic was nonexistent. Each year there are more and more cars added to the roads. That said the traffic at most delays me for less than 30 minutes. There is no car insurance here so in an accident ... Read More

Good luck. Sounds like you have a very difficult decision to make. I personally would consider home schooling before relying upon any of the local "international schools". Those children are not English fluent so your child's academic level will ... Read More

Good to know and something that I would have easily done without the warning since I am used to buses and vehicles having shaded black windows since I have lived in hot climates. Read More

I am so glad you have not experienced these negative attitudes. My Indian friends have reported their experiences to me and they have not had very positive interactions. I guess it is like anywhere else, there is good and bad depending upon the ... Read More

Hmm some observations I have made concerning the way children are treated here: Kurdish and Turkman people are very affectionate with all children their own and other children too. They show their affection by touching children's hair and faces ... Read More

Thank you and most helpful. Read More

Thanks! Very helpful. Do you know, are there "pink taxis" in New Delhi or other taxis driven for women by women drivers? Read More

not seen it for 10 months so it must be coming back hopefully soon... there is a website that my colleague gets stuff from. not sure if PB is included. name is odd, bombeene she got purses sent in. i may break down and get PB ha ha ha Their ... Read More

Ask any questions you'd like. I remember what it was like to be moving to Erbil and had no one to ask. Read More

I am an expat woman who is entering my 4th year of working in Erbil. The main difference for me between working elsewehere and in Erbil is my lack of freedom in Erbil. I must be concerned about everywhere I go and how my employer views it. I also ... Read More

The Turkish double fat, full cream yoghurt will also work well. Just let the extra water drip out for about 30 minutes and mix it with some lemon juice to taste. I did the same thing in India where there is no sour cream. The writer who said ... Read More

In that case bring it on in with you or at least bring enough of a supply. I often find it far cheaper to pay excess baggage charges than to have things mailed in to me. Some things are really easy to get here and others not so much. If you wonder ... Read More

In Family Mall there is a kiosk that has the name "GNC". They are carrying some GNC products, not sure if it is what you are looking for. People have said it is very expensive. Maybe they can order it for you? I don't know. I would consider ... Read More

I could not recommend any international schools here. Many of them are for-profit which is not a good situation. All of them are full of local children. There is such a lack of English language fluency in the children attending "international" ... Read More

Do expats visit (hang out at) certain persons in Erbil? Do you mean places? If so, yes there are places. Try the village of Ainkawa attached to Erbil. There are eateries around there with a mix of expat and locals. Eateries for expats charge around ... Read More

You don't have to be "covered all the time" I now live in the Middle East and believe me I know what covered is. ha ha ha I covered in Chennai because the mosquitoes love to eat me alive. Daytime mosquitoes carry dengue and night time ones malaria. ... Read More

The economy has collapsed in Arizona. It is very hard to find a job unless you are already legally eligible for employment. Most employers can't offer you sponsorship because they have to be able to prove they can't find an American who can do the ... Read More

You can go online and look up schools in the zipcode. Schools in Arizona get a rating from the state as to if they are doing well or not. Education is terrible in Arizona and the schools are rated against other schools in Arizona only. So what ... Read More

Some men I know use the Erbil Sports Center and like it. (We women do not have the same gym opportunities as men!) Read More

In Erbil there is no public bus. There are private shared buses that travel popular routes. I have been on one or two but try to not get on if it is all men as I am a woman. Usually I take a taxi. Local women only use taxi drivers they know and ... Read More

Healthcare is poor here. Locals with money head to Turkey or other countries for anything serious. Doctors and dentists do not have as many years of training or as rigorous of an education as they do in most countries. Additionally equipment here ... Read More

I have a friend from the Philippines and it was very difficult for them to get a work permit and residency permit because the local government had problems with abuses of resident Filipinos by their employers. I do not know if the situation has ... Read More

Hi, I have seen a few Indian families. If you bring your children please consider the British School as I heard from one Indian family there are some Indian children there. I don't personally know anything about that school but their website ... Read More

Hi, I lived in Chennai for 2 years and loved it. By the way I did not have a car and driver and took the public bus to most places. I am American. I am single so was no problem. I love Chennai the best of all the Indian cities because it feels like ... Read More

After trying several places I have decided to ONLY go to Apollo. The main Apollo on Greams road is very busy and crowded but they have some other Apollo clinics around town that are really pleasant. I suggest checking with your nation's consulate ... Read More